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Conspecific and heterospecific alarm substance induces behavioral responses in piau fish Leporinus piau

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Abstract

In ostariophysan fish, the detection of alarm substance released from the skin of a conspecific or a sympatric heterospecific may elicit alarm reactions or antipredator behavioral responses. In this study, experiments were performed to characterize and quantify the behavioral response threshold of Leporinus piau, both individually and in schools, to growing dilutions of conspecific (CAS) and heterospecific skin extract (HAS). The predominant behavioral response to CAS stock stimulation was biphasic for fish held individually, with a brief initial period of rapid swimming followed by a longer period of immobility or reduced swimming activity. As the dilution of skin extract was increased, the occurrence and magnitude of the biphasic alarm response tended to decrease, replaced by a slowing of locomotion. Slowing was the most common antipredator behavior, observed in 62.5% of animals submitted to HAS stimulation. School cohesion, measured as proximity of fish to the center of the school, and swimming activity near the water surface significantly increased after exposure to CAS when compared with the control group exposed to distilled water. Histological analysis of the epidermis revealed the presence of Ostariophysi-like club cells. The presence of these cells and the behavioral responses to conspecific and heterospecific skin extract stimulation suggest the existence of a pheromone alarm system in L. piau similar to that in Ostariophysi, lending further support for the neural processing of chemosensory information in tropical freshwater fish.

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Acknowledgements

Part of this research was a portion of the undergraduate research projects and scientific initiation of A.B.J. and E.J. M. at the Universidade Federal de São João del‐Rei. The authors would like to thank Mr. Rubens Fernando de Melo for the technical support in the histological procedures and the Commercial Supplier of fish GMAlevinos for donating the L. piau. This research was financially supported by Fundação de Amparo a UFSJ (FAUF), Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), UFSJ, and FMRP/USP.

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Correspondence to Liliam Midori Ide.

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Barbosa Júnior, A., Magalhães, E.J., Hoffmann, A. et al. Conspecific and heterospecific alarm substance induces behavioral responses in piau fish Leporinus piau . acta ethol 13, 119–126 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-010-0081-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-010-0081-6

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